Friday the 29th of October was a day of a fairytale wedding for the Prince of Bollywood and his Princess, we are talking about Vivek Oberoi and his wife-to-be, Priyanka Alva. To celebrate the happy union a weekend of festivities took place and we have a report on the gorgeous events, what the couple wore and more!
The wedding, which took place in Bangalore, was rumoured to be a lavish yet private ceremony. However, as always, a big fat Bollywood wedding doesn’t just stop at the solely at the wedding. On the evening of 27 October, the couple and their respective families held an intimate gathering at a location on the outskirts of the city to which only close family friends and relatives were invited. A source close to the wedding party confirmed, “The entire decor was chic, elegant and classy. It had the touch of royal blue blood in it all…”
The night before the big day was the day of the sangeet and mehndi ceremonies. The event was cutely named “Viv-anka”, merging the couple’s first names. The occasion saw the couple dance to the super hit track from Prince, ‘Tere Liye’ as well as the bride-to-be performed to a track from Devdas. It is thought that the wedding party went on until the wee hours of the next morning with music blaring. Although it was initially assumed that there wouldn’t be much attendance from the film fraternity, apart from in the reception in Mumbai scheduled for 31 October, Akshay Kumar, Rajnikanth and Kareena Kapoor, with beau Saif Ali Khan in tow were all spotted at the event.
Both the bride and groom had mehndi applied by specialist Usha Shah, flown in especially from Mumbai. Shah explained how Alva already had a dream design, “Priyanka is very traditional and had already thought of a design with leaves and peacocks for both her hands and her feet. It took 4 hours to apply.” The specialist had also incorporated Vivek’s name in Priyanka’s design and vice versa. The peacock theme was seen throughout in the decorations as well. The couple’s outfits were designed by the very talented Shantanu-Nikhil who had chosen a crimson-shaded colour theme for the pair.
On the big day, various traditional rituals were performed following early morning prayers to bless the couple. The day incorporated a haldi ceremony as well as a “sehra-bandi”. The bride also gifted the groom with a sword as he per his caste tradition. A close attendee revealed that 2000 Swarovski crystals adorned the mandap as well as lotuses flown from Thailand to decorate the pool area. The couple wore Tarun Tahiliani creations in a very emperor-like look.
Following the main event, the two emerged for a few minutes to greet the many photographers and reporters gathered outside. Walking hand in hand the two looked very happy.
The couple and their respective families hosted a reception on the evening of Sunday 31 October at the ITC Grand Maratha in Mumbai, inviting the who’s who of the Bollywood film industry.
Vivek was dressed in an elegant black and blue sherwani matching with Priyanka’s blue-green lehenga. Many well-known faces attended the grand event: Dia Mirza, Genelia D’Souza, Shatrugan Sinha, Shakti Kapoor, Aarti Chhabria, Riteish Deshmukh, Sonu Sood… to name a few.
We wish the happy couple a lifetime full of joy and contentment. Bollywood loves a good love story… and may this love story never end.
